Due to improved luminescent efficiencies and extended lifetime, high power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a good option for replacing other technologies such as incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. One of the main advantages provided by an LED is its efficiency. When compared to traditional lighting systems, a much higher percentage of an LED's input current goes to the generation of light, as opposed to the generation of heat.
Nonetheless, a higher power LED generates heat that must be dissipated during use. Heat accompanied by higher power not only causes inefficiencies, but also influences long-term reliability of LED devices. Consequently, thermal management of high power LEDs is extremely crucial for proper operation and extended life.
One prior art method of providing thermal management is to solder a LED package to the front of a circuit board, and to provide thermal vias, typically copper, that extend from the front of the circuit board to a heat sink positioned behind the board. Another prior method is taught in U.S. Patent Application No. US20060289887A1, where a back plane is connected to a thermal pad, and a heat sink is connected to the back plane.